Grimm to the Grey
by KisaragiKei
Summary: "You will guard them and they will hate you for it. Whenever there is not a Blight actively crawling over the surface, humanity will do its best to forget how much they need you. And that's good." Commander Kristoff from the Blessed Age never realized how far the people would hate them ages to come. Especially when the Herald of Andraste appeared at the end of the Dragon Age.
1. Chapter 1

'Tis said that Corypheus woke after his long slumber and found the world gone awry. He fought to bring back those days of magic and shadow, to raise himself as a god, and set things right. Now we are left with a scar in the sky to remind us of what almost was. It tells us that a great victory against chaos was won, but left the world forever changed.

Consider the mighty Empire of Orlais, where Gaspard has ascended to the golden throne. He rules unopposed. Each noble house that rises up against him soon realizes it has made its last mistake. He settles disputes with Ferelden, freeing the Orlesian armies to fortify the northern Tevinter borders. His victories are many. Strength and stability are restored to Orlais... for now.

Fortunately for Gaspard, his gratitude towards the Inquisition has remained strong. Some claim the emperor relies too much on his new allies, but others know the truth. His enemies hesitate only because they fear the Inquisition's revenge - but for how long?

One month after the defeat of Corypheus, the Chantry names Cassandra as successor to the Sunburst Throne. Given the name Divine Victoria, she immediately enacts reform: a new Templar Order, and a new Circle of Magi. A proclamation of support for the Inquisition is issued, recognizing its service to all of Thedas. A new sect arises, demanding a return to the status quo. Negotiations quickly break down. It is the first time the Chantry has ever declared open war against itself.

Those Templars of the Inquisition who were recruited at Therinfal Redoubt are left with a choice.

Some return to the Templar Order under the new Divine, but the rest elect to shed their allegiance forever. Under the watchful eye of Commander Cullen, these men and women form the core of the Inquisition's strength for years to come.

The Inquisition grew to the force not many would believe if they knew how old it was. From merely a year, they commanded Legions with the backing of political powers from kingdoms all around. The Herald of Andraste grew fame each passing day as stories of his exploits became more and more mystical thanks to a traveling Dwarf whom will not be named. Its web of influence is felt in every hall. Through diplomacy and the trading of favors, it has gathered the power to shake kingdoms.

I leave Skyhold now, knowing that power will continue to grow. The Inquisitor is a symbol to many, a leader of the changing world order. To others, (s)he has become a target. They linger in the shadows, waiting for their day to come. When it does, the Inquisition shall stand ready.

And what of the Grey Wardens you may ask?

Those Grey Wardens who survived the battle at Adamant ventured north into exile. They returned to the mighty fortress of Weisshaupt, and word slowly spreads that a battle for control of the Order has erupted. It is said that Loghain leads these Wardens in their rebellion, a fight to change the Order from within. Indeed, before long, all news out of Weisshaupt ends. Slowly, the Wardens withdraw from across the north as well. Some believe the ancient order is on the verge of vanishing forever.

It was then that the Inquisition set it's eyes to the Anderfels, to bring stability in the chaos of the Warden conflict. That was a simple story set by the people of Orlais. Indeed, Ferelden soon joined with a contingent force to support the Inquisition. Blights soon appeared once more. Once in Tevinter, another in Orlais, and the last two in Ferelden and the Anderfels. The Grey Wardens were nothing more than a folktale by that time.

Scouts followed trail after trail, leading to an old crypt in Weisshaupt Fortress. The Wardens all died off in their final battle to change themselves from within. Or so said the Chantry lest they face the consequences of their own wrong doings.

In truth, it was there where the legend of the Grey Wardens soon were snuffed out of existence forever. Where they left wounded, bloodied, and dying through an ancient Elven Eluvian.

Southern Anima was uninhabited thanks to the fierce sandstorms and heat of the desert with small patches of forest and mountains. It was only when a scouting party met a besieged village on the outskirts to the north.

With Arms, Arrow, Force of Will, and Intelligence of mind, The wardens met face to face with a new enemy, an Enemy they were confident in fighting, killing compared to those like themselves. Creatures of Grimm, or what Archivists would say, Remnant's Darkspawn.

The boy was proven to be a miracle even at the age of 7 when they found him along the mountains of Ferelden. With unforeseen occurrences of a premature Joining, the Taint was instantly purified from his blood. A glowing white barrier encased his skin like a suit of armor. The boy soon lived every waking moment under the Guidance of a Warden. The first to greet Remnant were led by this young man, Senior Warden-Adept of the Grey, raised and trained by _First Warden Loghain Mac Tir_ and the former _Hero of Ferelden_ , the gift giver, the deal maker, killed when she gave the final blow to the archdemon during the _Fifth Blight_ , Gods rest her soul.

"I remember the moon being broken when I was a younger. You thought I was joking, but here we are. Let's hope this place is a bit more hospitable compared to Thedas. Least where we landed is a lot like the Anderfels and Ferelden mashed together like yesterday's stew."

The Warden-Adept took stock of his surroundings before he held the command of the griffons. The bird-like darkspawn were a force to be reckoned with, the riders would be able to do little while they were out numbered. His troops took charge at the village defenses, Rogues to the ramparts, Warriors to defend the civilians, and his mages to blast lightning to the sky.

 _In War, Victory_  
 _In Peace, Vigilance_  
 _In Death, Sacrifice_

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 **Very Small. Yes, this is a Grey Warden(Faction) centric hook for a Fic. I thought this up on the fly and believed it would prove to be amazing if done right.**

 **Sorry for not updating in a Month... or two.**


	2. Ripples in the Wave

**WHEW. Been a while. Enjoy and hope you get a feel for this.**

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The winds were long and cold, this place. The thirteen of them grasped their order's ragged yet clean mantles to the collar of their armor. It was a blessing to keep headwear on at all times since the start of their journey as sand would have easily gotten into their eyes.

The trek was long and overall, they had very little chance to resupply, indeed; The desert was a near inhospitable place compared to the Anderfels of the old home. The mages within their party had to forcefully conjure water from the already dry air around them and those with tevinter lessons used their own blood to search out life for game.

The Grey Wardens were known as a much more liberal order compared to the rest of Thedas as they started from a culmination of warriors and mages all around, they had an open view of both people and abilities. One such was the use of blood magic, long as the mage used their own blood, what was the harm?

"Warden Adept!" The voice ahead of them called out in the distance. Their eyes reached the edge of the rocky desert, the sight for sore eyes, a forest. Least a dryer, heavier kind of woodlands. The Adept believed it had to do with their change in elevation as the air turned colder when they traversed farther up into the sky.

Behind his Blue Vitriol and Deepstalker hide mask and hood, blue eyes greeted the two forward scouts with a wave of his hand. The griffins laid by with patches of wood and leaves to cover their white and diverse colored feathers, miffed about their state of being. To the side held a young child, unconscious with his back to a tree.

"Oi, Ryders. Where'd you find this little one?" A warden with a two handed blade bigger than the adept's own waist rested on the man's back, which wasn't all that different as he was an elf, a standard poked through the silk which encased the flag and the passion and valor from within gave the other warden's strength.

Warden's could only be filled by the elite of the elite, and the adept's unknown apprehension to commanding his first detachment were washed away. His musings were cut off by the flickering of the wind which set off an appendage on the child's head. Many tensed in surprise but they were also curious and looked on. The griffon ryders smirked as the adept himself kneeled down for a loser look.

"Faunus," The Wardens looked at their captain for further explanation but gained little, "I remember of them when I was younger, back when I was found by the First Warden and the hero. As far as I recall, there is much enmity between the common people and the Faunus."

"Might be seen like Elves are in most cities around Thedas then." Some elves in their entourage stiffened at a dwarven archer's words.

"At best, assume they are treated the same way Elves are in the alienages, at worst… slaves from the Ancient Age." The adept nodded in agreement, "Where'd you find this one, Argos?"

The ryder by the name of Argos twirled her arrow between the fingertips. The Tal Vashoth, one of the many expressive Vashoth which abandoned the Qun pointed towards the sun setting. "Imekari found by a lake far west. Ashkaari would like to seek for answers, possible return to villages?"

With a nod in agreement and a word of thanks from the Adept, the group soon relayed their findings from one to another after setting up camp. The young man listened intently to all new information given to him. He had sent the griffon ryders to scout far off into the land in search for life, with the off chance to map out their surrounding area. It proved to be fruitful somewhat as collected power from within in a palm of his hand etched an image of a map. Colored in various hues and shaped with different objects to explain landmarks, the wardens were able to create a moderate, if not vague regional map.

He gave thanks to the scouts to allow him to connect his power towards them to create it. The far east held a separation of water between two capes which to the south lead to the ocean. The northeast were rocky mountains closer to what they assumed to be the mainland, and the west were patches of forests and mountains, held off at a natural quakeline. The sea was spotted if gone farther. Overall, the place they landed in was a land comparable to The Free Marches and Antiva geographically speaking while the climate was a mixture of Anders with a healthy blot of northwestern Orlais.

It didn't take long for the child to wake and the young one's first impression spoke much to the group of wardens. The child's ears twitched erratically while he looked from side to side. The adept thought the boy would dart out the chance he got as he looked up from a makeshift table surrounded by a ryder and warrior at his sides.

The elven champion was the first to calm the child down. In a swift act, the winged helm slid off, pointed ears poked through his auburn hair and the dark complexion of the elf showed through the sun as he grasped the boy with an open hand. His voice softened, "Can you speak, Da'len?"

"W-who are you?"

Many raised their eyebrows, surprised at the language he spoke. A dialect of Anders, most commonly used far into the savannas where no foreigners would dare stay around long enough to learn. Thankfully, the elf himself responded back in turn. It wasn't common to see many wardens from different cultures and lands, especially since the Anderfels were the home of the order, "Can you speak in any other tongue?"

"Umm, will this do?" The Adept and many others nodded. It was heartening to know the people here could speak Common, the Tongue of Trade. The boy jumped at his seat as the Vashoth appeared like a ghost from behind. She chuckled and handed him a bowl of stew, careful to not let the boy drop it on his clothes.

"Warm deer. Can you eat?" The boy's ears flickered, eyes gazed long into the horns protruding out of a custom-made helm, wings removed to allow the horns to move unperturbed. The look was a little too long and the boy went to eating, embarrassed.

The wardens allowed the boy to get his bearings, expectant for him to stop shaking in place. It didn't take long for the bowl to be emptied and with a nod from the Adept, the champion was the first to question. Best to not overwhelm the boy.

"What brought you out in the wilds, De'lan?"

The boy shuffled his feet. "I wanted to find my sister. She doesn't live at the village with me, said she had work of some kind and couldn't stay long. She comes to visit a few times a year and always handed my mom and me lien and supplies to support us."

"The problem is that, some of the other villagers noticed new travellers in our village acting odd. We live far at the outskirts, nowhere near the kingdoms so they don't send the militia and we don't contact them often. Huntsmen don't come around either so normally everyone knows everyone."

"Bandit's then," A mage added quickly, the warden's kept the boy in their sights, "Standard thought is to have a few scouts showing up to a village; Look for any weaknesses in the defense and scope out whatever valuable to take."

The boy nodded, "The guards fought em off well enough. The problem is that some think another wave might come, or the Grimm. The elder didn't think the village could stand for a second attack."

The elf looked up toward the adept, a silent question echoed around the wardens. The child's accounts on a 'Grimm' as they were called raised questions many wanted answered. The adept nodded, earning chuckles from a few eating and the boy tilted his head in question. He walked up to the boy with the map in his hands, "It'll kill two birds with one stone. You know where your village is?"

"I can take you there. You'll help?!"

With a nod the adept introduced themselves, "Grey Wardens won't just look away from an attack on the innocent. What's your name, boy?"

"Gio Briar."

The group quickly packed once they finished their meal. Gio could only gawk at the ryder's mounting their griffins. The golden slitted eyes from the beasts blinked in contemplation under the matted helms, the only available armor for griffins as the wardens were low on resources. The ryder's themselves forsake mounts and bindings, offering to ride them bareback with a few leather straps for pouches and bags. Archers like Argos kept extra quivers to allow her to support from the air.

"Never seen a griffin before Gio?" The boy looked back to the approaching adept, his shoulders rumbled in a silent laugh.

"That's a griffin, a real griffin?" Many nodded at Gio's question. "Not like the Grimm ones at all."

That brought attention to the wardens and many leaned forward with interest. The boy looked on in confusion, and the adept gestured for him to explain. With surprise, the boy exclaimed, "You haven't seen a grimm before?"

"If you speak of the giant scorpion we killed in the desert, it was unusual that it dissolved into air after it died. Is that the grimm you speak of?"

"A deathstalker, you killed a deathstalker! Not only that, it was a sandstalker!"

The adept tilted his head like many others. The elven Champion chuckled, "It wasn't hard. Granted there were thirteen of us, but we've handled worse."

"There are fifteen of you." The faunus murmured, moving side to side to count everyone out. Many wardens shrugged before finishing their duties. With their packs full and weapons to their holsters, they departed.

Gio could only shake his head and let the ryder mount up. The adept patted the boy on the back, "Best for you to be on the ground. If you're gonna keep your mouth open by the griffin we ride, better to keep you with us."

While on the road, they stopped here and there to gather much needed supplies such as water, purified of course, whilst many rogues and mages scavenged for herbs to bring back to the alchemists at base. They kept an even pace, but made sure not to tire themselves. Gio took a liking to many of the wardens, The champion and adept especially as they were only the few that kept in good contact. Throughout their journey, Gio explained as best as he could on what grimm were.

"Mother always said they were monsters, creatures of destruction. Some people think they were animals that were possessed by evil spirits." The mages except the adept flinched at that, if only barely. "My sister always said they don't have souls because they never could use aura."

A dwarf by the name of Manrik couldn't help but point out, "Sounds like Darkspawn"

Twas true. The description of the grimm by Gio was eerily similar from the darkspawn. The real issue came from any specifics many wardens wanted to know about. Where did they come from, how were they spawned, why didn't they leave a corpse or a trail of blood when wounded?

The more and more Gio spoke of 'grimm', the Adept couldn't help but feel how surreal it was. Been around since their history was first recorded? The people here didn't have a chance to fight them off until the use of something known as 'Dust', and even then it was a struggle. It felt as though this land they were in never left their first blight!

Was there even such a thing as an archfiend here? The creatures never assumed to act in any timely matter or cohesiveness, as if they were animals prowling throughout the time they were alive to kill their enemy. They never targeted other creatures aside from Humans and Faunus at all. Nevermind Gio stated that some have been rumored to live for centuries perhaps millenia.

A roar sounded off as they got closer to their supposed destination. The Adept ordered their scouts and ryders to rush ahead as the rest of the warden's made haste in securing a vantage point. They soon met up over by a hill with the village in the distance. Fire spewed forth while a town bell rang for the inhabitants.

Taking out a spyglass, the Adept surveyed the damage to run a battleplan, his wardens silent under Gio's attempts to run to his village. He called out for a warden whilst he checked the ground, "What's the air look like?"

"Murder of giant crows and griffins that haven't been eating for months." A ryder holding a long spear whistled out.

Manrik scoffed at them with a calculating gaze, reading the strengths and weaknesses of the beasts, "From the looks of it, they're as big as ours, but thinner, the limbs might be longer, tails are definitely thicker, looks like they have natural spikes on em, could be used as clubs."

"Ground has a large contingent of werewolves and giant snakes. I also see bandits hiding out for the waves to end or just running off with loot." The adept scowled under the spyglass. He doubted the village would be able to withstand for much longer, it really did feel much like the blight all over again. Wave after wave of darkspawn with glowing eyes and bloody swords pushing through wall after wall, over the corpses of their own. He turned back to see his wardens tense, brimming with the energy and the silent plead to allow them to charge in. Even the griffins which usually were carefree and only desired to fly clawed on the ground in impatience.

"Mom!" Just as Gio was about to jump down to run off, the adept grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled, hard. The boy wilted under his glare, silent. This was no time to rush in like a fool, but he did see the boy's need for urgency. The adept looked back into his spyglass in search for the defenders in hope if there was a reason for them to charge into the fray. It proved to be a blessing as a small group of defenders reached his vision.

"Survivors are grouping up together, a good tactic however; they'll be overrun soon. The village defenses are thinning out quick. Very little guards for a town this size and many look green."

With a grin, the adept nodded towards his group. With arrows uncovered, swords drawn, and each warden packed together in formation, the mages circled the group with him at the vanguard. The ryders laid low off away from the group as he commanded, "Once we land; Set out in groups of four until we reach the inner sanctum. Ignore the bandits for now, the villagers are our primary objective. Clear a path in to search for survivors and take them to the central meeting point for the rest of the noncombatants. Ryders, hold until we get some of the sky clear."

With a tug, The adept kept Gio grounded right behind him, "You, stay close ya hear?"

"We're not even moving!" The boy's complaints were swiftly ignored with the Elven Champion shushing the boy. Gio even not understanding the picture could only comply when he watched the elf put on his helm, a grin poking under the steel.

With a feather's touch, The adept's acolyte staff twirled much like the other mages. In firm concentration, he reached out to touch the fade, pulling forth energies from the great beyond and nature around him just like every other mage in his group. Energy released through their staves and that was there it stopped being identical. Power surged through each mage like a great circuit of lightning, closing off from the rest of the world yet sharing the burden with him as the focal point.

Magic was the ability to tap into the power of the fade. The essence of creation itself and question what was true. Reality to the mage was malleable, mutable for any imaginative and to that end, a mage was a force to be reckoned with. To be a mage was to question reality, to draw strength from the land of spirits and gods, to take and often times, give back.

With gritted mirth, the adept roared in concentration, his mind straining against the current of power and his devised ideal of enforcing his magic. In a mere blur, everyone's vision flashed to a street in the burning village. Layers of frost quickly melted in the heat and with practiced movement, the archer's let loose arrows to the grimm while the warriors rushed forward, their blades in a whirlwind of steel.

"Mages! Priority to the sky!" The adept commanded out of the fighting and each mage followed as ordered. Lighting bolts shot out from the staves and fingertips, shocking each raven from above. Some died then and there, other's fell to the ground leaving a trail of smoke.

This was not teleportation as under regular circumstances, they were not possible. Fade Walk originally was an old ability taught under the standard school of winter. Where a mage by controlled application of energies would let the invisible waves of magic carry them forwards in a blurry haze. With a large contingent of mages, or a well focused and trained group, fade walk could be used to transport groups of people across distances at a time. The range was limited, however; to send a group of thirteen from the edge of a forest into a village at a straight line? Child's play.

The boy Gio stumbled under a pool of ice and slipped before it melted into a puddle. The roar of a werewolf shook him out of a daze and with a wave of the adept's staff, spikes of ice pierced up from the ground, skewering the beast and it's companions.

The adept took stock of his surroundings once the area was clear of enemy forces. In front of him were the elven champion, hand on the greatsword, scanning for surprise attacks while to his left and right held Manrik, the dwarven bowmen and a human duelist. Gio was to his back followed by other groups of wardens set in their own formations.

"Gio, stay behind us and keep your eyes alert!"

"R-right!" without preamble, Gio held himself behind the group yet close enough for any of the men to rush to his defense. The battle groups dispersed in a series of different directions. Lightning from the mages flitted across the sky every so often to target the giant ravens.

With Gio's directions, the Adept and his squad reached an intersection with the local village guards facing off against a small horde of grimm. The power of the Fade gathered in the adept's free hand until he launched it as chain lightning towards the monsters. It seemed they were quite well resistant to the blast as lightning arcd towards each grimm, the creatures staggered but stood firm.

"Nemat!" The adept called out once. A glyph in green energy appeared instantly at the center of the road and with a roar of acknowledgement, the elven champion landed at the center. The air shook around the grimm and they turned their heads. With his taunt active, the creatures left the defenders, forgotten. The adept didn't take a moment to spare, casting a spell of haste on his party.

All surrounding grimm lunged at Nemat with a reckless abandon. With the power of a war cry, what could walk away from such a challenge? Just in time, the glyph sparked, lighting skipped across the ground whilst each grimm struggled to move closer to his men.

What came then was a healthy application of teamwork. Nemat slashed down at his facing opponent while Manrik delivered an archer's lance to the elf's blindspot. The duelist danced around the grimm which the champion couldn't reach with his blade and delivered blows to the weak spots, or at least what one would constitute as weak spots for creatures like them.

In mere moments the horde was removed from the picture while the Adept casted a barrier spell on the guards. They looked at their arms and hands, noticing the slight glowing shield which encased their bodies until he casted a healing spell on them as well. The wounds slowly, but methodically stitched themselves closed.

"You…" The adept ignored any words from the survivors in favor of commanding his troops. The battle was not over, and there would be no rest until every grimm was gone, or the village was grouped together at a more breathable location. His staff blew out a winter's breeze, another cone of ice spikes grew from the ground to his back at a few approaching werewolves and his other hand shot lighting towards the encroaching ravens.

"Move together now!" He yelled across the battlefield at the guards and villagers hiding in a home. He scowled at such a poor choice in defensive location and continued, "You need to reach the other guards for a larger defensive. The horde won't thin itself, they'll prow until there's no one left! We'll follow!"

In a stroke of good faith, the guards gestured to the hiding villagers. The adept commanded his wardens to hold the tail end of the moving target with him at the center, Manrik to the right, Nemat to far end, and the duelist to the left. Gio was given to the trailing guard that kept staring at him before the man rushed to his position with the others.

He frowned. The home sheltered alot more than he realized, fifteen noncombatants aside from Gio and with the added guards that he personally had no experience of their skills… this would be a difficult job.

The guards took their time in moving and it was something the adept was grateful for. He ignored the eyes that kept glancing at his troops, him especially every time he spew forth lightning to a raven in the sky. He blasted grimm the moment they bypassed the metaphorical walls the escort created, and he made sure to set down glyphs at each open road they passed. The magic would dissipate after an hour or so, but the usefulness of thinning out hordes were a sight to behold.

Overtime, the group slowly grew as each time they moved to a new area, more guards and villagers gathered together at their location, and each time he healed the guards and casted a mass barrier, stretching far across the entire mass. As the numbers grew, his concentration strained but held firm.

Magic was only limited to those that did not take their studies seriously, take heed in it's warnings and the fear of possession, or weren't imaginative or curious in their application. Least those were the conflicting arguments that his first teachers, Wynne and Morrigan gave him. The roar of his champion shook him out of his thoughts and his eyes met shattered bone fragments of the werewolves. Nemat finished both an earthshaking strike to the ground, evident by the picture of a small earthquake and a whirlwind of steel showcased by the falling pieces of monster until they dissipated like smoke.

A healthy cast of haste and rejuvenation allowed Nemat to gather his strength again, but thankfully Manrik shot down a pair of ravens with an explosive arrow while the duelist beheaded a set of werewolves from attacking the guards. By the time they reached what could have been a town square, other detachments of his troops reinforced their position, with the addition of more guards and refugees.

A long, winding twirl of his staff signaled the other mages to ignore the refugees and shift priority to their fellow brothers and sisters. A large mass of energy pulled from the fade gathered into his core and with a swing, a battlefield sized barrier spell imbued all with another shield. A mage from a fellow group transferred to and back cast a haste to cover his lack of attention in his own small troop.

This act only further increased the ferocity of these grimm and while fire continued to burn down the village around them, the adept thought quick to stop the ever decreasing advanage they had in position. Taking a deep breath, the adept raised his staff directly in front of him, one hand palm open. To the untrained eye, what occured next seemed much more akin to a dance than a movement of sort; to the wardens around him, they all knew what he was doing. It was something seen often in the land of the Anderfels; where more than a third of the country kept a dry, summers eve, and the mountains constantly brought forth fire.

The other mages of the group knew what the adept was doing would not be able to bring the full effect and so began their own dance with him. He grinned under the mask as all four corners of the square drew power from both the fade and the world's generosity. It eventually was potent enough to be visible to the villagers as they gasped at the swirling wisps of smoky haze and vapor. To complete this unperturbed, the adept yelled out, "Battlemaster!"

A vashoth towering over most at the height of seven and a half feet reached for a horn at his belt and howled. The horn of valor reverberated throughout all, a shimmering aura grew from all the wardens. It was then that the adept screamed the name of the spell. "Rain"

Water poured in an endless stream from above, blanketing the village and with that, fire was smothered, the wind raced as if they were in the middle of an ocean, but the grimm took this all in stride and as such, more and more monsters rallied at the roads like ants to an anthill.

The villagers became soaked with the rain yet they did not freeze. Stray grimm bypassed Nemats defenses, claw and fang were brought down at the unsuspecting duelist whilst he batted a much larger and armored werewolf.

A bang resounded through the adepts ears and the grimm were quickly mowed down. As he look back, he noticed a few guards sporting odd devices that were reminiscent of crossbows. A thought occurred to him.

"Do you have more of these?"

A young man with ears that looked much like a Mabari's nodded, frightened. "Most, we're all issued with at least a pistol."

The adept had no idea what this 'pisto' was but if it could do as much damage as a those so called crossbows, they would be invaluable. With a clawed hand, he pointed to the guards in front of him. "Tell your guards to get prepared. Support us with those, but stay back from our attacks."

"But we don't have any cover! We'll be exposed." A guard complained.

The fade gathered at his claws, "Let us deal with that." In a swift motion, the adept shot it around the other mages and commanded them with a communication spell. Many nodded in acceptance, being pulled into the tactic.

The mages followed the adepts command, rushed towards the edges of the square and with a heavy wave of their staves, Ice sprouted from the deep recesses of the earth and thus walls meters wides and meters thick surrounded the square like towering castle fortifications. They completed the movement with smaller walls of ice reaching a man's thigh, standard cover that a crossbowmen would use if they were besieged by enemies.

In caution, the guards set up their devices at the foot of the square, The wardens in the thick of battle had to use minute changes in their battle tactics but it proved to be just as the adept thought. Any warden that left a side open would be covered by the power of the guard's weapons. Grimm fell with body parts blown off or punctured torso, much like a barrage of arrows.

Many wardens were visibly disturbed by the addition to the song of battle. Some if not all were not used to the foreign aid and at the beginning, the weapons fire wounded ally just as much as enemy. The mages were able to heal the damage but all wardens kept their voices of protest known.

As much as such an aid the weapons gave, it was also quite a drawback. The guards learnt first hand when some wardens forcefully commanded them to hold off on firing until an opportunity was ripe. It didn't take long for the both sides to find a happy balance, grimm being a main factor in quickening the effect.

By the time the waves of grimm thinned out to a few stragglers, it was already well into the night, a small blur passed by the adept. It somehow passed the sword swings and arrow fire towards a few figures running towards them. A group of six, all villagers with one in particular that looked eerily similar. His eyes spread wide at Gio that rushed to the parent that was spoken of earlier. The adept cursed, when in battle, there's little rest for one to talk to each other. The noncombatants maybe, as long as they were in a fortified area.

No enemy would wait and allow one to just hug, share experiences, and talk without already planning traps or attacking unguarded victims. Just as he thought, the fleeing stragglers ran from particularly large monsters. Buildings crashed like houses of cards, out appeared a two headed snake and a very large monkey.

The crossbow like weapons from the guards expelled many of it's so called arrows. The adept gritted his teeth in frustration. As useful as the weapons were, they blocked the path for any wardens to run forward and save the people. The exploding sounds from the weapons didn't help to the ever chorus of battle.

"Stop!" The adept yelled back. The weapons fire slowly ceased allowing the man to speak. "Damned fools."

The fact that these monsters were gaining on the two were true, however, arrow fire or whatever it was would do more damage than good. The adept clicked his tongue, the way to them was still blocked by his own doing. The ice barricades were in the way of a fade walk, and so he ran. He could have used it anyway while changing direction, however; controlling where one went was finicky at best, horrible at worst. In hopes to buy some time, he covered the ground with various glyphs and sent out a barrage of lighting and ice. The snakes had an uncanny amount of resistance to lightning while the giant ape's muscles were not just for show.

His form blurred in blue vapor. While the giant ape was about to smash the ground on the fleeing stragglers from the group, he appeared in time to pick up the mother and Gio in his arms. With his staff no longer in his hands, the spells he used would surely be weaker than intended. A blast of telekinetic power forced the two headed snake from eating them but he had little options. He jumped back from the ape's heavy fist, twirling to the right. It proved to be a futile move, the snake had already surrounded him and with the ape from behind, there was little to do.

Thinking quickly, the adept perused through all the spells and combinations he knew of until one brought a smile behind his mask. Just as both the snake and the ape launched an attack, a blue aura glowed around him up to an arm's distance. The snakes' fangs stopped in mid air, just like the apes. Instead they hit a shield which protected him and the two he was sheltering.

Nemat laughed at the two beasts while he took himself into a lunging stance. The air glistened around the elf for just a few moments; The balls of the man's feet cracked the ground beneath him. The distance of a few tens of meters broken by one jump, and it showed with the man sword already overhead to take out the snakes. The other champions took this in and followed suit at their own destinations. "Finally, a real battle!"

Thanks to the horn of valor no longer in effect, Nemat sadly was not able to behead it fully as the snake's head was torn only to the middle. It allowed ample amount of time for the mage to get out of the way, fade walking back to the square; He threw the two down on the ground with a reprimand stopping at the center of his throat. He ignored the two after a simple nod but hoped his glare was seen though his mask.

The adept took out his staff once again to send out spells to support the wardens. In wordless understanding, the rogues covered the mages as they did their work around them while all available champions unfurled the standards on their back, cracks ruptured when the standards hit the ground, many were thrown.

Bright lights were seen even in the dark, the standards glowed a near unshakable power. The champions stood firm far ahead of the groups, in front of the standards and deep in the roads away from the square. Their words echoed in silence, even the guards agape at what would transpire.

"You will not pass this line."

He felt as if he really was back in ferelden during the blight. The constant horde of monsters sent a chilling memory of Lothering, burning as darkspawn marched through. The Hero of Ferelden went back as quickly as possible to save whatever was left, but only was able to secure a small portion of the refugees.

The only difference was that they were winning this time. Many believed it was because there were never fortifications for the town of Lothering, others believed the fear and hysteria over magic didn't allow any battlemages to turn the tide of the invasions. He was there. The wardens themselves left him at the chantry in hopes to be safe. In truth he was only safe thanks to the forethought of many refugees, fully packed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

If Nemat and many other champions wanted to take out the grimm themselves, he would allow it. They were strong by their own, the best he would do is get out of the way and only heal when needed. In anger, the adept smashed his staff on the ground leaving spider cracks on the stone. Spheres of energy circled the top until they flew into a false griffin overhead. It staggered in the air and waned once the electricity ran along its body. But It wasn't enough, the adept grasped his clawed gauntlet like a vice, the griffin struggled against imaginary bindings which lead to colliding with a group of other ravens and griffins. Lighting sparkled until a cage danced across the sky, shocking any would be monster that had the gall to surround his victims.

In a fluid motion as if he imagined him ripping the throat of the archfiend itself, the lighting collapsed until it exploded. Taking a majority of the sky grimm with it. He turned his back to the grimm and the call of a real griffin echoed across the night sky. His ryders had the all clear to play.

Best to let everyone enjoy the show, there were only a few ground stragglers left and the griffins could finally take care of aerial support. It was also worth of note that he and his mages were out of magical capacity. It was good to know Nemat was still in battle with those monsters. The beasts couldn't even get through his defenses.

* * *

"The sky..." Corsac Albain muttered on the edge of the northern forest of the besieged town. "Fennec, look at the sky!"

"Not just the sky, You see what I see on the ground?!" His brother Fennec gaped, they both traveled to this particular town for a routine patrol of the white fangs' surrounding area. An organization like them required a permanent headquarters, something to let all faunus know they were there to stay. Of course it was inherited by the original white fang but that didn't matter.

What mattered to them were the lightshow and explosions that lasted for hours. The two brothers had originally come with others, however since they encountered the village being attacked by Grimm, they could do nothing to help. It wouldn't matter in the long run.

The remaining members were sent back to relay a message that the village of Botan were being attacked by waves of grimm. The possibility of them surviving were minimal at best. For some time now, Sienna Khan ordered the White Fang herself to keep tabs on it. For whatever reason, they were not sure. Did the White fang have a secret base or stash of equipment hidden there?

Either way, the horde of grimm threw that down the drain. The two faunus thought at the beginning, the village would simply vanish from the face of remnant entirely. It wasn't until the sudden appearance of lightning from the ground that made them think otherwise. It wasn't just one shot either, there were many. Nevermore were shot down as if Atlas actually gave a damn about the villages that were attacked by grimm when on patrol.

There were actual huntsmen at the scene. It wasn't until their internal faunus senses forced them to look at the sky. Clouds gathered in an unnatural way, circling together as if they were beginning a tornado. Rain of all things poured to quench the village fires, and the two brothers thought they were hallucinating.

The cracks of ice and lightning sounded off even to their location, griffins and nevermore either fell one by one or landed roughly, only damaged. The moment giant fortifications like ice walls appeared, the two brothers thought they had a Schnee in the village. Reason took that possibility away, if Specialist Winter Schnee was around, where were her reinforcements? There was never an indication of energy weapon fire and at best, the bright lights from the plasma would be major indicators.

No, this was not some group of huntsman or the Atlas military. This was an entirely new wildcard in the mix. They needed to relay this information fast.

"Get a scroll!" Corsec fumbled to get the device out. The blasted thing was never reliable outside of the kingdoms, what was the point anyway? They were mainly stationed along the island of Menagerie. The damn Atlas council thought it was a worthless effort to 'gift' the island with a CCT, effectively crippling the faunus from having contact with the outside world.

A damn prison if he ever thought it.

He was able to get the final moments of the display with the scroll's record function. The damn thing in his hands was a symbol of anti-faunus relations to the man but he kept it. It proved to be worthwhile as he recorded a cage made of lightning form into a ball before it exploded. A chill ran down his spine.

"We gotta get this to Sienna Khan."

* * *

"-And instead of backing up, I met the giant monkey's fist with my own! The damned thing had strength like an Ogre, but it wasn't enough since I smacked the fist to the side like I had a shield bash!" Nemat laughed as he regaled his audience, arms wide to emphasise the exact movement.

The battle was over. The horde stopped hours before at the break of dawn and the town itself could have been worse for ware. By the end, the village jumped in celebration, and to give thanks to their savors, one of the few remaining buildings that survived the fight were open to let the warriors rest.

The village searched all over for any remaining survivors but only found the traces of their perished. Many died by the grimm themselves, others by the ever troop of bandits that had come at the opportune time to steal. All in all, they could have ended up worse, the elder of their village had to remind them of that.

The wardens aside from objectively saving the village, handed them an olive branch by supporting some of their efforts. Mages were embraced as healers while the warriors used all their muscle to clean up or create makeshift living quarters. Rogues scouted out for more dangers while pulling extra duty, gathering any fleeing cattle or capturing game to eat.

It didn't take long, there were in total just over a hundred villagers and fifteen wardens. They finished just past breakfast, or that was what the adept thought. He sat by a table with a clean plate watching the villagers interact and speak to the wardens. Most were faunus, all different in their own way; Some with dog ears, others with antlers. The wardens were informed earlier not to act surprised, but sometimes curiosity trumped professionalism. They had never seen faunus before, and it reminded them of elves or dwarves that lived like humans.

Odd, but not disturbing.

Many children ran around some Vashoth while they wondered if the giants were some kind of bull faunus, while the elves that showed their faces earned both confusion and curiosity. The dwarves the oddest to the villagers, short and stocky humans that weren't truly human. They didn't take any hostile reactions, why would they? The same odd people saved them after all.

A shift in magic energy around the adept caused him to straighten up from his relaxed seat. He stood up and gestured for a small escort and they complied. With mask still on, he lead himself to a bedroom, empty of life and closed the blinds. His escort divided themselves to secure the area. Two warriors outside the door, one rogue by the window, and a mage off to the side. The duelist he commanded before twirled a long mustache before he rested a hand on his sword at the waist, scanning the room.

With a quick pulse of magic to check for his surroundings, the adept nodded to himself before setting a crystal ball the size of his palm on a table and channeled magic to it. Translucent crystals appeared above it with images of different men and women with approving faces. He put his right hand over his heart and lowered his head in a salute.

"First Warden Loghain, High Constables Howe, Stroud, and Vellana. Chamberlain Avernus." The adept acknowledged before another figure appeared. In this crystal was not a man, not a real living thing anymore. A mask which only covered his eyes in a tarnish gold depicted the being no longer could see yet still could. The ever large and detrimental crown of slabs in obsidian bone were smaller yet still contained many holes covered the head, and the black and purple robes were more streamlined, much like modern Thedas robes that covered some of the near emaciated body of a sickly pale ash coloration. The adept nodded to him with respect, surprised. "High Enchanter Architect."

"Adept, Weekly report on your journey. What's your first hand account?" Loghain commanded simply. The young man nodded and proceeded to give them his report.

"Sir, The trek in the desert was as you would expect. Low, extremely amicable temperatures at night, and heating temperatures in the sun. Low water in the air, very little rain. Our mages had to conjure water to allow our warden to drink. Game was also little, reptiles mostly however, the most food we were able to obtain were in the form of plants."

The wardens nodded. Quite normal, just like the other few reports they had many times earlier. The same old story. Stroud was the first to ask about the change in location, the wooden wall being shown in Adept's background. "Continue, The mages allowed us to scry our location when the fade shifted and were picked up by our devices."

"After a few days of trekking, we met up with the ryders of our group. The end of the desert held dry forestland, and simple game lived in the woods. They had in their custody a child of unknown type. I account them as Faunus as I spoke about in my younger days." Loghain and Vellana leaned forward in attention.

"Physically they are identical to humans or elves. Each with different sizes, proportions and height. Most vary in between Humans and Qunari but much shorter. Not as lean as Elves, generally."

"Generally?"

"Yes, To not sound discriminatory, the faunus are much like humans that gained characteristics of animals. Some with horns like a deer, others a tail much a like a mabari. It's safe to believe they might have other characteristics, like a heightened sense of smell or better eyesight like an elf's. The characteristic of which animal the faunus obtained bleeds into their form. Tigers are wider in torso for example." The adept concluded.

Avernus cradled his chin, "Are they magical in origin like the Elves?"

"Doubtful. I'd say the characteristic as described are more in tune with Dwarves. Natural gifts based on their surroundings or the affect of magical influences." Vellana countered.

Loghain controlled the discussion to be back on topic, nodding to the former magister, "Moving on. The fade is weak in this land. This is correct, Architect?"

"Yes, almost designed in fact. On my findings with the Adepts and Archivists of the wardens, there have been little to no tampering of the veil. This land is naturally connected to the fade unlike Thedas, with an extremely complex filter. Spirits and demons are neary unable to even reach the threshold. Yet..." The Architects clawed hand reach up to gather magic. "Mages are able to connect to the fade unlike before. We experimented in summoning beings of the fade in controlled environments. It succeeded."

"Continue Adept." Loghain said with a nod and the Adept followed as ordered.

"The child explained to us his predicament. He went in search of a family member alone in the woods; An act of foolishness like any other child I'd say. The village he lives in were previously attacked bandits and the child believed he could obtain support by looking for the sister. Possible the family member is a warrior of some kind. Seeing a chance to interact with a village in this land, we offered to escort the boy back home and kill two birds, if bandits did attack, we could defeat them, there by looting their remains if they refused to surrender."

"This however lead us to a different conclusion. The boy explained to us one of the dangers these people face and I can't help but liken it to darkspawn." Some of the others stiffened at this. Stroud and Howe rubbed their chins while Avernus moved his crystal to show a creature of pitch back fur. A werewolf similar to the beasts the adept fought earlier.

"Are you speaking of perhaps these?" Avernus inquired over the roars and agitated clawing of beast testing it's bindings. Glyphs restricting the monster's movement, speed, and strength dotted around the cage of sturdy Lazurite. The Adept nodded, watching the beast with an odd disconnected attention.

"There are many other forms aside from the werewolves these beings are imitating. Others range from large bears, giant ravens, and scorpions."

"In the recent battle, we fought off a few griffin imitations." Howe specifically paid attention on this. As the attending roostmaster of the griffin ryders, he was in charge of the population and was responsible for the continued survival of the endangered creatures.

"Your assessment?"

The adept nodded to his mage that leaned back at the corner of the room. The gesture was taken and she walked up to greet the ranks above her, the dangling emblem of a pair of feathers indicated her as a ryder. "Movement in combat are extremely similar to our own. Flight maneuver, giat, and running are slightly different but based on the same profile, the griffins act nearly identical, discounting the lack of personality. Same weight class, but thinner, nearly emaciated. Longer torso, tail, and neck, pawed limbs instead of our half paw-half talon, showing a lack of dexterity. Weaker in terms of strength, but speed offsets that weakness. The spikes on head that relates it to horns and the tips of it's tail make it a danger to fight."

"So the amount of potential in air maneuverability, added to it's lack of mass and weight creates an interesting combination. I would hazard a guess they can spin or ram in the air as if it was a lance." Howe added with a grim nod before he relieved the ryder of her assessment. "Continue."

The adept continued to detail him and his team's expedition, recounted the battle at the village and give them his own opinions on the matter. Some perked up at the mention of an unusual crossbow the guards had, others raised eyebrows at some of the living amenities of the village. When it was over the leaders thanked him and some left for other business.

Loghain, Avernus, and the Architect were the only ones left in the call. Papers shuffled in the background as the first warden searched his mountain of paperwork, Avernus had done the same, but they were much less than what the adept could see through the crystal. The young man waited until the first warden nodded to him, a twitch of his lips hinted the man of his approval.

"Your next assignment is this; obtain information on this new land, we will not resort to banditry. Books, scrolls of any kind are permitted long as they pertain to a subject that may help us in the long run, even if they are in a different language. This means information on these grimm, their opinion on magic, writings about their history or the political climate of the land. Second is to obtain items not of Thedas origin. You explained before of this 'crossbow'. Obtain one if possible and hand them to a ryder to carry it to us." Loghain waited until the adept memorized everything until he continued. "Last is to support these villagers in their needs for a small time. As far as we know, they are the only sign of life to us, let's not make any enemies just yet."

The adept nodded, a salute to emphasize his understanding.

"The mages will relay a new location and trade map information after this. The wardens have found a suitable place to set up a headquarters, It should prove to be invaluable." With his final word, Loghain's crystal shattered into tiny fragments.

Avernus added his own task with picking up a bag of refined lyrium. "Find some deposits of Lyrium for us. If this land ends up not having any, look out for something to replace it. Infact, they might have recorded entries of resources in their libraries. Procure some."

With a nod, the crystal that held Avernus shattered much like Loghain's. All that was left was the Architect. The adept openly bowed with his right hand to his chest, palm open facing upwards, a sign of sincere respect. "Salutem meus magister."

"Salutat ad meus discipulos," Nodded the being added with his own gesture of a raised hand barely at chest height, palm open but relaxed, the only sign of emotion or acknowledgement. An ancient Tevinter custom.

The adept denied any pleasantry aside from the greeting, knowing his master's habits. A desire of evaluation flashed in the man's head and he asked, "I have no doubt you watched through a scry spell personally. Your thoughts?"

"Your use was crude. Wasteful and inefficient for spells of that complexity and scale. Any mage beneath your potential would have perished at the capacity of mana you channeled." The sharpness of his master's words brought harshness. The words were true, had the man was any less, or any weaker, his efforts would have been for naught.

"However I commend you on your quick wittedness. Elemental combinations and battlefield arrangement were acceptable. Your casting speed is also something worth praise." The being paused for the adept to give thanks before he continued. "Spell memorization and calculation must be prioritized in your training; Study the Tome of Conservation and continue the Book of Inscribed Runes. Casting must be second nature, regardless if you have any items to enhance your ability or you are nothing more than Publicus."

"Yes, Master." The adept responded, a thought occurred to him, the lack of Lyrium would create a burden on many wardens, including the mages. The research his master conducted required such resources and he asked if there was anyway to circumvent that, "Master, I noticed during my travels that the evidence of Lyrium are low. What do you make of this?"

The Architect waved the question away. Experience taking over. "Unimportant. Lyrium is not a necessity to a mage, nor it is to others. The utility in a resource is outweighed by the possible alternatives. Your report earlier stated something known as Dust, yes?"

"Yes. Gio Briar explained to us some of the uses of it. Energy to power their devices, I'd assume controlled lightning, and a method to use it like Qunari gaatlok. It is mined deep within the earth and is extremely volatile while containing the power of the elements."

"Then it is likely this Dust is related to Lyrium or an alternative, gather samples. Make sure to obtain enough for the dwarves and Avernus. I do not want us to begin disputing over resources at such a time. We must protest for warden templars to begin weaning off Lyrium. They will be burden if they continue being Venenum."

* * *

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did in the cafeteria earlier!" The form of Cardin Winchester trying to puff up his chest like a big boy did little to his opponent. The girl in front of him was silent, her finger twitched erratically and shook in fear to his eyes. But it was nothing of the sort.

Many of the audience believed the girl regretted what had occurred earlier. Splattered tomatoes and broken apple bits stained team CRDLs' uniforms and the smell permeated the room of an odd stench of laundry detergent and dried up marinara. The team wasn't able to go back to their room and change, which earn a hard look from their teacher.

On the other hand, Team RWBY and the last three of NPR rallied behind said girl at the other side of the room. Nora raised a tall flag, swinging it back and forth with such enthusiasm that Pyrrha joined in on the event. Blake had a much more optimistic look since the fights that had her teammates days earlier. She even put her book down to watch.

"Break his LEGS!" Nora screamed, breaking all the talk and tension with her words. Ren beside her only sighed, surveying their team leader. He raised an eyebrow after a few seconds of neither combatant moving. Something looked iffy and he spoke to no one specific, "Something's different."

"What's up, Ren?" A red cloaked girl by the age of fifteen walked up, hearing what he said. With a tilt of her head, she waited for a response. Instead Weiss beside her answered for him.

"She's usually like you; Outgoing and quick to have fun. She's not bouncing on her feet anymore. Something must have happened between lunch and now. Pyrrha, you have an idea?"

"Sorry. All In know is that she had a long distance call." The Minstrailian apologized, she didn't think anything of it when the girl left to be alone when it happened. "Now that you mention it. She's not holding her sword she used at initiation."

The conversation was cut off by the taunts of the known school bully. He frowned, swinging his mace in one hand to show off. "I don't know what you did to get a recommendation from a teacher here but, you didn't look so great anytime you fought."

A growl came off the girl in a quick wave. Rwby and NPR backed their heads in surprise and a whistle blew behind them. The bunny faunus appeared beside what looked like her teammates with the one wearing a beret whistled. "Didn't tell me she had style, Velvet."

"You want to shop with her now, don't you?"

"You betcha. Mistralian white and black jeogori sleeved up compliments the black miniskirt and white thigh highs. Those shoes are so cute!" Coco squealed while she raised her sunglasses. "I can tell quality when I see it, and the gold embroidery on her clothes added with the red accents all over, and the bands around her thighs? To die for!"

"Her hips and shoulders carry scaled plating much like old Minstral. She Minstralian?" Yatsuhashi added with a nod.

Pyrrha answered in with a sad tone, The girl was quite the looker, and the obsidian chopstick-like pins used to keep her blonde hair in a loose bun only added to her features, "No… Said the clothes reminded her of her childhood days."

"What's that giant case dangling from the back of her hips?" Velvet asked, confused at it as she took pictures.

"A machine more like, See the thin lines all over it?" Ruby said, pointing to the object. "Kinda like Crescent Roses' maintenance box. Could hold all our weapons in compact mode with room to spare! Maybe it's a giant mace, or a spinning chainsaw!"

"She's angry." Yang's words cut off Ruby's start of a ramble. Eyes hard, the blonde leaned forward to get a closer look. "See her hands? She's holding back something. Can't she her eyes out of the hair but I can tell."

"Of course you can tell." Weiss deadpanned.

"I'm just saying, She's in control of herself but I don't know for how long. Maybe she has beef with Cardin?"

"Ugh, doubt it." Weiss scoffing was her only response.

Their musings stopped to hear Goodwitch announce the match to begin. A horn rang to signal it all, and from the start, Cardin rushed up with a wide swing. It missed spectacularly but instead, his face met with the foot from the girl. Yang ooohed added with a fistpump. "A high kick!"

The leader of Team VNPR danced around the boy's wide swings, a fist to his head or a kick to the back of the knee left him unstable. Her aura level barely scratch out of green as the fight went on.

"She playing with him. Not like her," Pyrrha observed. The others looked to her when she continued, "She's normally passive in our spars. Dodging to get a read on our style before making commitment. This… she's not doing any of that, didn't wait to check his abilities, just going in for the fight."

Cardin's roar of frustration, evident to his hard time getting a bead on his opponent grew into full blown rage. A sweep under his legs toppled him on the ground. He made of a fool of himself and laughs from around the class added into his psyche.

"You done being a coward?! Maybe it's true after all, the school needed you not because you were any special but we'd have an odd number in total if you didn't join!" Many of the girls frowned at his words. That wasn't true in the slightest. The girl was a great classmate, not the best at school work, or in combat. But she proved to be a great tactician and gave pointers to others. Ruby loved the fact that there was another girl to geek out with, Pyrrha needed someone that didn't look at her any different than the rest.

In a quick movement, Cardin smashed his mace to the ground, detonating his fire dust. A crater like many other weapons other students used formed. It didn't last long as the girl gave a swift kick to his ribs. Some thought it was a bad move, what with Cardin being one of the few that fully armored himself up.

Ren leaned in when he noticed a glow of yellow that came off the girl's aura. Dust activated from the leg and force pushed Cardin across the arena. Before the boy could get a grasp on his predicament, an aura of violet appeared just behind him.

"Woah! Renny! There's a little girl!" Nora pointed to Cardin being grabbed by the child. The whitest platinum blonde hair, almost as close to Weiss' own color framed a cute face before it went down to her back. Bright blue eyes glowed in a happiness that looked out of place as she smiled wide. The girl wore a black and blue ensemble of a skin suit and a dress, since the frills came off her open sleeveless hoodie as it was only latched from the chest up while the gloves reached to the girl's upper bicep. One leg wore half of a pair of pants while the other was left bare, the skin gradually turn bluish black when it reached her navy shoes.

Blake stared at the unusual features on the girl. A long segmented tail added with two pairs of dark blue horns from the back of her head, going up. "Faunus? No, A projection?"

"Is that her semblance?" Weiss mused, looking one at the projection's next move. Cardin's body, gripped into the girls comically huge gauntlet by the waist squeezed. He grunted as the Aura meter of his reached yellow before the being thrown on the ground.

 **[Mode Change]** Ruby perked at the mechanical voice coming out of nowhere. Her ears adjusted, searching for where it came from. **[Low Yield, Normal. Birdshot No. 10 Type]**

"Is that…." The redhead's voice slowly grew until it reached a near squeal of excitement. Immersed at the Leader of VNPR's case partially opened to reveal dozens if not hundreds of tiny moving parts, all interlacing each other like jigsaw puzzles. A grip formed out until another latched onto it to make a stock. The trigger appeared as an ejector port shot out right next to it, a click sounded off to let the both slid into place with a short barrel and a storage unit connected into the bottom, poking out of the case. The leader reached back with her left hand and pulled out a twelve gauge shotgun.

"Cha-chick." The time old double click of a pump action made Cardin freeze. Miraculously, the boy kept his grip on the mace, but with his knees on the ground he could only look up to see the gritted teeth of his opponent. She looked through him, not at him but It didn't matter; He gulped, not willing to take the loss. His grip on the mace tightened, dust ignited once again.

He willed to take both of them out, The sparks and flying debris hit something in front of him. The sounds of rock to flesh and metal was made apparent. A smile formed, Good. That had to have done some damage. Instead, the dust from the ground faded to the sight of the little girl again, Arms crossed to shield what was behind her. Not letting the opportunity leave, the girl reached to stop Cardin from backing off. He landed harshly on his back.

 **[Secondary Change]** A click of a revolver was heard outside his vision. The mechanical voice showed up again. **[Low Yield, Force. Slug Type]**

The sound of the girls hand cannon radiated throughout the arena like a bad joke. All the men hissed in sympathy as the girls cringed just by seeing it. Cardin whimpered once the projection disappeared, his hands holding his crotch for dear life.

The siren of a match ending sounded off as Glynda Goodwitch walked up. She looked at the two combatants and sighed. "The match is over, Cardin Winchester's aura has reached the red zone, the winner is Viola Arc! As Mr. Winchester is… preoccupied at the moment, a message will be sent to your scrolls about my thoughts on this fight. Class is over."

As students pulled out of the room, many looked back to give Cardin a nod of sympathy. The rest of team CRDL tiptoed around the girl to take their leader to the infirmary.

"Viola." Said girl shook from her daze. Turning back, Glynda's concerned face appeared in front of her.

"Auntie…" A hand landed on her shoulder and she went silent. With a shake of her head, Glynda smiled reassuringly. The rest of her friends she made ran up to her, standing back to give the professor some space. A few stunned at what the girl said.

"Come to my office. I can probably guess what's wrong."

With a nod, Viola tried to ignore what made her act unusual. She holstered the shotgun from her left and the hand cannon from her right into the case and smiled at her friends. "Well? What'd ya think?"

Some saw through her facade but didn't pry. That was fine for her. Best to get to her Aunt's office later in the day. Viola pulled off her case to the exuberant Ruby Rose to handle as she answered her questions. Nora laughed maniacally, hugging Ren a little too tightly for his own comfort.

"New plan! Breaking Legs is so last year." The hammer wielding mayhem causer ignited a fireball of debate. Yang was all up for it while Weiss looked disgusted. Pyrrha tried her best to keep the situation calm and Ren… Well Ren looked miserable.

Viola Arc couldn't help but tighten her hands. Thoughts from earlier that day couldn't leave her.

 _You can't fix the past, Father._

* * *

"Ooof," The adept grunted from the impact of Manrik's heavy fist nudged him in the ribs, one of the exposed parts of a lower quality battlemage armor. He rubbed the stinging sensation out of the way as he and many other warden's laughed at his embarrassment. No doubt they held in for this long.

"Grey Wardens won't just look away from an attack on the innocent. Can you believe that?" Nemat postured dramatically as he impersonated the adepts tones and words to a near comical deepness. More wardens kept into the facade by adding their own made up quotes in the same voice.

"Keep the villagers safe from those darkspawn!"

"Shieldwall at the incoming feathers!"

"Don't mind me, I'll set down a rain spell!"

"We need a chokepoint!"

The adept shook his fist at the others, most older than him by multiple years. "I get it, I get it!"

"Battlemaster! I need a horn!" The adept sighed when said battlemaster blew into both his hands, imitating the warhorn on his belt. Resigned to the fact of his companions now joking and frolicking only hours after leaving the village from their east. The leaves of the forest they were currently in sashayed against the wind, adding into the jolly mood.

A pat to his shoulder from the duelist and a mirth filled smirk showed behind the orlesian accent, "Still want to be a hero, chevalier?"

"Why wouldn't he? The kid's been raised around the saviors of ferelden; Taught by the witch of the wilds and Archmage Wynne. Add that to the hero's numerous exploits that would put ole Varric to shame and we got ourselves a one way ticket." Manrik responded with a grin, each title of a revered hero getting more and more dramatic by the second. "Didn't show his face, even when eating!"

"Shut up, old men!" The adept whined childishly, his young age being made apparent.

"That broke off the mysterious hero vibe!" Another warden stated before more snickered behind the adept. One of the few bards plucked leaf to cover up a section on a musical instrument they found in the village. A gift from the owner of the destroyed shop after seeing the man's talents in song. A tune played off, reminiscent of a well known theme. "You take a page from 'Hard in Hightown?'"

"Jaune Arc, a real scaredy nug instead of a mabari!"

"Hah!" The adept pulled his hood down, taking off the mask which covered his entire face to show stark blonde hair reaching the bottom of his chin; blue eyes shined in mirth as a whistling sound pushed out of a hole where his left cheek should be. The left side of his face from the cheek bone down to his upper jaw was gone, teeth barely covering up the natural holes as air whistled pass in tune to the song. The other side of his lower face was similar if only where there was flesh showing out instead of a full hole. He grimaced before reaching up with a hand, willing magic to cut and wax the beginnings of a chin stubble and mustache, he used his lips, one of the few little bits of flesh which he still had controllable muscles and a smile formed.

"Don't want those kids screaming about how half my face is gone."

"Cheer up, Least you fixed the drying problem a long time ago."

"Don't remind me!"

* * *

I have an issue with making a game's mechanics and a shows mechanics work together... well, this sis the only chapter where the RPG mechanics shine and are exaggerated. Aside from that. If you have an issue with how Teams RWBY and VNPR(Need to change that There's no color or fruit associated with that. Well VNPR, VaNPiRe-Black barely hits it.) are so nice to each other. It will be explained why in the next few chapters. or next chapter... If the next chapters are as long as this.


End file.
